Book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse.

Directed by Paul Dixon.

The Musical Theater Guild's production of Anything Goes has its
moments. Although it feels thoroughly like a amateur performance, it has
several strong performances, the dancing is polished, and the singing is
excellent.

Anything Goes takes place on a passenger cruise ship from New
York to England where young Billy Crocker (Waleed Anbar '99) discovers his
lost love Hope Harcourt (Liz Louik W '99) is aboard but about to marry the
stiff Englishman Sir Evelyn Oakleigh (James Kirtley '95), mostly under the
duress of her mother, Mrs. Harcourt (Stephanie Zielinski '98). Crocker
enlists the help of the famous nightclub singer and former evangelist Reno
Sweeney (Debbie Hyams '97) as well as public enemy Moonface Martin (Bruce
Applegate '94) to turn his hopeless situation around, only to find it more
hopeless than before.

The highlight of Anything Goes is the tap dancing, skillfully
choreographed by Christina Schofield '98. MTG has a history of shying away
from most musicals that truly depend on dance, but this show proves that
dancing can be done successfully. The tap dancing was energetic and really
absorbed the audience.

I also wholeheartedly commend the director for eliminating and replacing
the offensive portrayal of the two Chinamen characters that Lindsay and
Crouse originally wrote in their show. This switch was done in tremendously
good taste and was politically correct as well as a good way to avoid the
wrath of this particular reviewer. The Plum Blossom thing could have been
removed, too, though.

Teresa Raine '97 as the flighty gangster sidekick Bonnie was
show-stopping and by far the best character in the show. Her stage presence
was strong throughout her acting, as was her dancing, right down to her
swingy walk. Debbie Hyams '97 does an uncanny Ethel Merman as Reno Sweeney,
and her energy is good, although she came off as less sexy than Bonnie,
which I don't think was Cole Porter's intention. Applegate also turns out a
successful performance as Moonface, the street smart, wise-cracking
gangster.

Anbar was a terrific ham, but his interaction with Louik failed to
create the sexual tension that should have existed between them. Such was
the case with Hyams and Kirtley, though Kirtley's usual aloofness was
actually put to good use in his role, making his individual character quite
effective. Despite good individual performances, each failed to convince
they were in love with anyone else.

A flaw of the production was the absence of detail in the acting, the
set, and the costumes. The show lacked nuance, which is essential in making
a period musical believable. A necklace here and a table there would have
added so much to the production. And key turning points in the plot were
passed over too easily.

Despite its plainness at times, Anything Goes is an okay
production. This is one of the few traditional-type shows MTG has done in a
while, and I think the change is refreshing. Though I feel this production
was not completely successful, it's a step in the right direction. The
singing and dancing save Anything Goes, leading me to recommend it
to anyone who misses the old-fashioned song and dance and can overlook a
few flaws.

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This story was published on Tuesday.
Volume 116, Number 54.
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